Zakir Naik calls Modi govt communal. What about his own record?

Firebrand ‘communal’ preacher Zakir Naik on Friday launched a scathing attack at the Narendra Modi government over the five-year-ban imposed on his NGO Islamic Research Foundation, terming it communal. The Modi government on November 15 had declared the IRF as an outlawed organisation and announced the ban.

In an open letter, Naik said he would explore legal options to get the ban overturned, pledging that he will leave no stone unturned and ensure that the government fails in its plans.

“The law does not seem to apply to the likes of Rajeshwar Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Sadhvi Prachi who continue to make inflammatory speeches aimed at inciting communal hatred for mere political mileage,” Naik said.

Seriously? It is agreed that there are hate-mongers within the ruling BJP who are known for their communal remarks. However, Naik’s own record is not clean. Time and again, videos of him delivering hate speeches have gone viral.

A 2006 video gone viral shows Naik delivering a speech wherein he not only ‘called upon’ Muslims to be terrorists but also supported 9/11 attacks mastermind Osama bin Laden as he was fighting for Islam. The video garnered close to five lakh views on YouTube.

In another video, he is heard making derogatory comments against the West. The 12-minute long footage generated more than 38,000 views on YouTube.

Communal speeches should be condemned at all costs, irrespective of faiths. As a result, when motor-mouths like Sakshi Maharaj, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Sadhvi Prachi can be ridiculed for their remarks spreading religious hatred, why should Naik escape the arm of law?

Here is one more hate speech of Zakir Naik, wherein he is heard openly ‘encouraging’ suicide bombings.